Dracula: The Panto is geared towards the faint of heart because it's not scary - it's funny.
"You're going to walk out of there laughing your head off," said producer Liz Gruber.
The panto (short for pantomime) is a Between Shifts Theatre production taking a fresh and funny twist on the traditional horror story.
It features some familiar actors whose roles are somewhat less than traditional. First, there's Skai Stevenson, from Much Ado About Brackendale, playing Boris the Werewolf, who is unhappy in his role as Dracula's bride finder.
"I like this character," said Stevenson, who has played roles in pantos since they started in Squamish.
"Last year I was a fruit."
In Snow White, he played the evil queen's chamberlain, who was a little bit fruity.
"This year I'm a gruff, pathetic, abused werewolf. Again, servant to the bad person."
He has also dabbled in evil himself, because he once played the bad guy in The Grand Old Duke of York panto in 2000.
This style of theatre is different than the more classical Shakespearean plays Stevenson loves to participate in.
"I like theatre, and this is the one theatre that lets you overact to the hilt," he said. "You can throw in gags."
Another familiar face belongs to Dracula himself. Brian Eckersley, who also starred in Howe Sound Secondary's production of American Beauty, plays Dracula.
Mike Underwood, who was Admiral Von Schreiber in The Sound of Music, is playing a character called the Dame. The Dame is a stock character in pantos, and is a man playing a woman. This Dame wants to be countess Dracula.
There will be some other comical characters, including a fairy queen called Fairy Garlic, and a comic duo called Steak and Kidney.
Sean Wilkinson plays Jack, who isn't the bravest of souls.
"I think he's basically a wuss," Wilkinson said. "His whole motivation in the play is to get out of town."
And why does he want to get out of town? Because he finds Dracula so scary.
"He can't stand up for himself," Wilkinson said. "He likes talking to the kids and not being a man."
Jen Underwood has no trouble in her role as Bride Number One.
"She's just fawning over Dracula," Underwood said. "She's hopelessly in love with Dracula, this guy that doesn't really care."
"She ends up being tossed aside like trash, but she keeps going back to him."
This is Underwood's first foray into the 麻豆社国产theatre scene, and she admitted being a little bit nervous. "After the first performance, I'll be OK," she said.
Dracula: The Panto plays Jan. 6 to Jan. 8 and Jan. 13 to Jan. 15 at 8 p.m., with two Saturday matinee performances at 2 p.m. at the Eagle Eye Theatre.
Tickets are available at Billie's Bouquet and the Eagle Run Coffee Company and cost $10 for adult and $5 for kids 12 and under, seniors, and students.
